Well, another Noah Funk investigation is off to a flying start, isn't it?

Noah's new police handler Valerie already got suspended on Pure Season 2 Episode 2.

Sound familiar?

At least Bronco got suspended for acting before he thought, for punching out his partner Jay, during Pure Season 1.

Someone set out to get Valerie suspended.

Was it the obviously mobbed-up lawyer who was using house purchases by migrant workers to launder drug money?

Or was it Valerie's ex-husband, who wants to take their son Ricky with him when he moves to a new job in California?

Well, the husband was more likely to have access to a honeymoon photo. But that does seem a little extreme just to get a custody agreement rearranged.

Related: Pure Season 2 Episode 1 Review: Excommunication

In any event, that photo will shoot down whatever credibility that Valerie had within the department.

And that wasn't much to start with, since she was just a forensic accountant.

Not that Valerie had done herself any favors. Let's count the crimes so far.

She stole evidence from the home of a dead cop, Jay, then used that evidence to blackmail Noah (and by extension Abel) to become her confidential informants.

Then she appealed to a detective only slightly above her in the departmental food chain to register them as C.I.s.

I feel badly for that tech who has gotten tangled up in Valerie's investigation by her dangling career advancement in front of him. That ain't gonna happen.

So, although they don't know it, Noah and Abel have been cast adrift. They have only themselves to count on.

But at least they're not stranded in a cartel compound in Mexico. So it could be worse.

Still, they were doing OK, in their own stumbling way.

I love how Kyle and Julius were understanding about how the Mennonites wouldn't be accepting of Noah and Abel's "lifestyle choice."

As is often the case, Noah was oblivious to the gay reference, although Abel caught on, albeit slowly.

The new Abel has been a great addition. Having come back from the other side, he's uninhibited, like he's playing with house money.

Abel seemed to love all the bullshitting that goes along with being an undercover informant. He's a bookkeeper and Noah is a cabinetmaker?

Then he took a crash course by borrowing Julius's laptop long enough to watch an instructional video on double-entry bookkeeping.

Related: Pure Season 2: Sneak Peek

By the time he was done, he had bartered his non-existent skill into a free apartment.

It's nice to have one upbeat character because much of this season is so dark.

Noah did make a new friend in his upstairs neighbor Eva. It's a shame that he seemed to lack the basic social skills to pick up on the cues she was putting out.

But at least Noah and Abel are inside of the operation and have determined that Julius is receiving and dropping off what are likely packets of money.

Now if only they had someone to report this to. What happens when they find out that Valerie is out of action?

Or does she just go rogue like Bronco did last season? I'm betting on that happening. After all, the writers do seem to be following a playbook, don't they?

What does it say when the most positive development in an episode is Noah and Abel infiltrating a dangerous Mexican cartel?

No, that's a little harsh. Things are going well for Tina, relatively speaking. (In other words, all of her relatives are in deep shit.)

Tina has bounced back from former beau Ben leaving town with his father Bronco.

She's now making eyes at a Mennonite boy, Johan. And even better, his father isn't treating the Funks like the plague, unlike many in the community.

Tina even made a nice gesture, helping family enemy Justina Epps, even further down on her luck, fold laundry and essentially saying "We're all in this together."

But she was already noticing her mother was acting hinky, although she hasn't determined why.

Tina was suspicious of Isaak's sudden disappearance and Anna's weak-ass excuse that she had sent him to Texas with some pecan pickers to look for Noah. 

Anna, the first rule of any lie is don't make it too complicated.

Related: Pure's Alex Paxton-Beesley Q & A

It wasn't helping that Anna's story changed depending on to whom she was talking.

Anna was in a hard place.

She had to produce at a high level for Estrada so that Isaak's confinement would be more civilized.

She also had to do that in a way that there's no scent of taint on her if she's ever to be let back into the Mennonite community.

That was that chilling scene when she was shunned as she walked through the Mennonite market, on the way to taking over the local drug operation.

Just like Noah has Eva, Anna may have a new suitor in Augustus, who invited her to Faspa at his church.

How Noah and Anna's relationship is tested, both by their "work" and their social lives, promises to be an enduring storyline this season.

Related: Get CBS All Access via Amazon Channels for Hit Shows, Exclusive Originals & Live TV!

While Anna was scheming how to best do her job for Isaak's sake, Estrada was plotting to turn Isaak against his mother.

First came the psychological torture by his henchman Orff. Then came the reveal, from Anna's own mouth, that she had chosen to give Isaak to Estrada.

Isaak has become a deeper character this season, growing from an oblivious doofus last season to an angry young man after his family has been so mistreated by their own people.

This experience is only going to add more layers to him.

To catch up on this season, watch Pure online.

Who's most in trouble, Anna, Isaak or Noah?

Who is targeting Valerie?

What will Tina's role be?

Comment below.

Dale McGarrigle is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.